Hwayugi: Episode 17

I can feel the story ramping up for the final showdown, which is something I’m very much looking forward to. In fact, I’m getting pretty impatient for people to stop sitting around opining about the imminent end of the world and actually face the thing already; there’s been a lot of talk and not a lot of ruination, which is making me somewhat bloodthirsty. Chop chop, plot monkeys! Let’s get this doomsday on the road!

EPISODE 17 RECAP

After learning that he will have to kill Sun-mi to complete her so-called destiny as Sam-jang, Oh-gong drives the heavenly sword into a rock in his garden and hides it among the foliage.

Sun-mi drinks alone in a pojangmacha, and when another customer gets up to leave, she sees a malicious ghost hanging around. Muttering that she has enough power now to get rid of him, she flings a cup of water and vanquishes the ghost, then sighs that these little things probably don’t count as “saving the world.”

Patriarch informs Mawang of how Oh-gong stole the sword, and Mawang supposes that means Oh-gong has accepted his duty to sacrifice Sun-mi. Patriarch remarks that the bracelet has a much stronger hold on Oh-gong than the General Store owner said it would.

Mawang comments that Patriarch, who had recommended that Mawang use the bracelet, had been manipulating him from that point on. Patriarch also lied about how Sun-mi had come to have Sam-jang’s fate, since we now know she was born as Sam-jang. Patriarch doesn’t deny it, merely pointing out that Mawang was rewarded with many points toward his immortality goal.

“I am no longer interested in that,” Mawang says. “I wasted my power all this while. I will search for a path to return to how things used to be.” He dismisses Patriarch icily.

Arriving home, Mawang’s nose twitches, catching Sun-mi’s scent. She’s here to consult with him about her vision of the world’s end, and how it depicted a human kind of destruction (explosions, warfare) rather than a demonic one.

Mawang figures it makes sense that a human (Sun-mi) is destined to stop a ruination wrought by humans. But he declares that such things are not his business, intending to wash his hands of it. Sun-mi protests that he must continue to help because everything started with him.

Mawang makes the excuse that he doesn’t have the power to help, since his body has weakened. Sun-mi asks if there’s a way to help, and he gets a mean glint in his eye and asks if she means to help him. Oh no, he’s thinking of eating her, isn’t he?

He mentions what happened to Iron Fan, who took a human child’s life to save her own monster child. Monsters gain strength when they consume the energy of humans—more so when consumed in living form, and especially so when the human is special.

Mawang starts to advance menacingly, just as Sun-mi has a vision of Mawang sobbing before the prone body of a woman whose face is covered. She tells him of her premonition that he will cry piteously when someone dies.

That’s when Secretary Ma steps in (ah, she’s wearing the coat that the dead woman wore in the vision). Moreover, she notices that Oh-gong is in the room, on the staircase behind them. How long has he been there?

Oh-gong doesn’t let on whether he overheard their conversation, but asks Sun-mi about her vision just now. She doesn’t know anything other than what she saw, but Mawang says he’ll take that as advice to be careful.

Oh-gong says meaningfully, “Yes, Mawang. You should make sure not to cause a sad incident.” Mawang replies that Oh-gong should focus on his own concerns. There’s definitely a silent battle going on between the two men, though Sun-mi doesn’t understand why.

She senses his tense air, though, and asks if Oh-gong fought with Patriarch. He replies vaguely that he merely got mad and caused a bit of a ruckus. Sun-mi wishes she’d gone with him, since she now has the ability to kick up a bit of fuss herself.

She reminds him that he can call her name anytime, although she’s disappointed she can’t appear out of thin air like he can. At that, he disappears—and after she hears his voice calling her name, he materializes, demonstrating how she managed to appear suddenly to him.

Sun-mi appreciates the gesture and tells him to call her anytime, which puts a suggestive glint in his eye as he confirms that he can really call anytime, for any reason. She hastily adds that he should call or text first, lol.

Sun-mi asks if he’s truly fine not to take off the bracelet, because if removed it, he wouldn’t have to face danger because of her. Oh-gong wonders if his feelings really would disappear: “You believe that, and I believed it too. But I must be crazy. I keep liking you more. Looking at you in this moment, you seem increasingly beautiful to me. Will this all truly disappear in one moment? Can you believe that?”

She says she used to find it sad, but now considers it fortunate, because it’s a way to let go of his feelings easily. He agrees, saying, “If you call my name and I don’t appear, it will be because my feelings have disappeared.” He adds that he’ll be busy for a while, and for her not to be alarmed. With that, he poofs away.

Mawang wonders when Priestess will reappear, hoping that it’s sooner than later, and instructs Secretary Ma to find out whatever she can.

Political hopeful Kang Dae-sung selects a dead body from the morgue, a runaway youth with no friends or family. He takes it back to Priestess, who plans to feed a soul to the body. Kang asks if he’s supposed to collect souls, but she says there’s no need—there are already souls here.

In the room are the ghosts of all the people Kang killed, which she can see but he cannot. He asks if he is to kill Sam-jang next, since Priestess said that he would need her.

Sun-mi reads up on Kang Dae-sung, recalling the time she passed by him, and how it had given her a strange feeling.

Over breakfast, Mawang goes over the details with Oh-gong: Sun-mi will become a sacrifice that will hold the evil force, at which point the bracelet will disappear and Oh-gong will be able to kill her. Oh-gong asks what happens if his feelings don’t disappear with the bracelet, because he isn’t convinced they will.

Mawang offers to “help” by ripping off Oh-gong’s arm that wears the bracelet, and Oh-gong laughs that Mawang wouldn’t be able to, given his weakened powers. They glare at each other with smiles on their faces, and Mawang says there might be a way to revive his powers. Oh-gong ask if he means to eat Sun-mi, and Mawang agrees that it’s a good idea.

After Mawang steps away, Oh-gong warns Secretary Ma, “Watch after Mawang well. If he raises a hand to Sam-jang, I’ll go insane.” She replies that the realization that he was tricked is driving Mawang’s behavior, and that he wants to believe what Priestess insinuated about his child being alive. Which is why Patriarch must give Mawang a clear answer regarding the matter.

Oh-gong says as much to Patriarch later, warning that Mawang isn’t likely to take the truth as politely as Oh-gong. Patriarch scoffs at the idea of Oh-gong being anything resembling polite, but Oh-gong calls him out for lying about Sam-jang’s fate originating as punishment for helping him. Patriarch stammers that he only fed him that story because he wanted to instill some responsibility in Oh-gong.

Oh-gong says he understands—but that Mawang will likely not be so understanding. He advises that Patriarch tell him the truth of his child asap.

Patriarch goes to the General Store looking for the grandma owner, but only finds her grandson as usual. The grandson guesses that Grandma outranks Patriarch, given how he’s always coming to her and she’s always keeping him waiting. Patriarch flushes and insists that he’s totally going to get a promotion soon, ha.

On Priestess’s instructions, animal blood is poured into her coffin, where the dead body has been buried under a layer of dirt. She tells Kang Dae-sung cryptically that she’s “growing” something here—and when she touches the body’s hand, it moves. The only thing left to add is the energy of “the person who will become this kid’s father.”

Mawang sits before the portrait of his wife, wondering if his son grew up to resemble her. Secretary Ma urges him not to count on the Priestess to return with evidence that his son is alive, but Mawang says if she doesn’t provide any, he can deal with her then.

Oh-gong asks CEO Sa for help: He has to capture a big demon, who will be hanging around an important human. Oh-gong has made it a rule not to involve himself with human matters, but decides that this time he has no choice but to step in.

To that end, CEO Sa steps up at a fancy banquet of business executives and announces a special guest: Oh-gong, who is introduced as the “actual owner” of the company. News spreads like wildfire through the media, aided by Oh-gong’s very conspicuous purchases of fancy cars, buildings, and sports teams. Which, naturally, makes him the target of curious eyes and interest.

Kang Dae-sung hears about this and wants to meet the mysterious newcomer. He’s shrewd enough to guess that Oh-gong is planning something, given how he made such a public splash.

Kang is approached by a reporter, who asks him about the missing museum director (whom Priestess killed for him). Kang feigns ignorance, but when the reporter mentions the rumors of Kang’s foundation having Japanese sympathizer ties, Kang suggests that they talk quietly over tea.

What he really means is to sic Priestess on the reporter, but she’s not home when he arrives. He wonders what she intends to do with the coffin, and just misses seeing the corpse’s arm move.

Priestess drops in on Buja’s mother in the hospital, and when PK finds her there, he thanks her for reuniting Buja with her mother. Priestess asks if he would like Buja back, and when he asks excitedly whether that’s possible, she asks him for a favor in return.

Oh-gong surprises Sun-mi in her office with cotton candy, though she’s more interested in knowing his motives for suddenly going public. He says it’s necessary to draw the attention of a big bad villain, because he’s intent on finding the human who will draw out the demon that will challenge Sun-mi.

Sun-mi brings up the niggling feeling she has about encountering Kang Dae-sung at the broadcast station, which triggered her vision of the world ending. When Oh-gong hears that she’d been called to the station by PK, a dark look crosses his face.

Oh-gong confronts PK about it, and PK admits that Priestess asked him to call Sun-mi there, but insists that nothing happened.

Oh-gong tries to puzzle out how everything is related. Priestess isn’t strong enough to bring about the destruction of the world, and moreover, even if she called forth a dragon, a dragon isn’t a demon. So how does this fit into the grand plan?

Priestess informs Kang Dae-sung of the location where she will be able to call the dragon, a valley near the tree where she was awakened, and suggests that they go together.

PK goes to Mawang’s inner room and swaps an energy ball with one that Priestess had given him that would enable her to take a bit of Mawang’s energy. PK looks conflicted, but he had been swayed when she promised to use that energy to move to a new body, thus returning Buja to him.

Dragon Prince Alice catches PK as he’s leaving and guesses that he’s doing something dangerous because of Priestess. She warns that he could get himself killed, but he says firmly that he won’t.

While stopped at a red light, Han-joo and Sun-mi get rear-ended by the driver behind them—who turns out to be Kang Dae-sung. He doesn’t betray knowing who she is, but Sun-mi eyes him with distrust, then has another premonition of him with Priestess, looking out at a large valley together.

Sun-mi catches him off-guard by asking point-blank, “Why are you with that woman? Are you a good person?” The question rattles him, and she leaves saying merely that she’ll give him a call.

Han-joo wonders why Sun-mi dislikes Kang Dae-sung. She asks what Han-joo would do if he found out that a powerful person were evil, and things were on the verge of ruin. Han-joo says he’s merely an employee who can’t do anything about anything, and finds her speculation unnerving.

The corpse is finally revived, and stands before Priestess and Kang Dae-sung holding an energy ball. Priestess declares that this corpse will clear away Kang’s obstacles for him, and that it’s time to throw “him” into some confusion.

She means Mawang, of course, who sits in his room, not suspecting that the swapped energy ball has started to suck out his life energy. As it does, corpse boy’s eyes flash red.

Priestess takes Corpse Boy to hunt down pesky Reporter Kim in a parking lot later that night. In the moment that Corpse Boy strangles the reporter to death, Mawang feels it and stares at his hand in confusion. Secretary Ma asks if he had a dream, but he replies, “No, it was like I traveled somewhere.”

Sun-mi discusses Priestess’s connection to Kang Dae-sung with Frosty. He tells her that Priestess was awakened on Kang family land, and Sun-mi wonders if that valley she saw in her vision is near that land, which she describes as “extremely strange and frightening.”

Frosty takes that tidbit to Oh-gong, thinking it a significant detail; perhaps it’s where Priestess means to summon a dragon. Oh-gong instructs CEO Sa to locate that land, deciding that he’ll have to see it for himself, as well as the landowner.

Kang Dae-sung gets himself invited to the exclusive club Oh-gong has set up, which is a magnet for people who want to meet him. Oh-gong has really been cultivating the eccentric billionaire image, being extremely choosy about the people admitted and spending fortunes on Warhols only to hang the paintings in the bathroom. Ha.

Oh-gong makes a point to pass right by Kang Dae-sung without any acknowledgement, leaving Kang fuming in his wake.

Afterward, Kang Dae-sung meets privately with a senior politician, who offers a handsome payment if Kang “catches” someone for him. The politician says that it’s Kang’s turn to stand behind him in support, but Kang replies that he’s not much for waiting in line. He declines the invitation for drinks, and tells the older man goodbye in wording that makes “Please make a nice return” sound an awful lot like “Please nicely die.”

A bit later, the older politician is much drunker and doesn’t see that Mawang is following him, a red gleam in his possessed eyes. Mawang goes full-on vampire as he fangs out and strangles the man until his spirit seems to drain out of his face.

Once the kill is complete, the real Mawang jerks awake in his own bedroom. He stares at his hand in shock, the vision so vivid that he can’t shake the feeling that he killed the man himself.

Kang Dae-sung is extremely pleased with Corpse Boy killing off all his problems, but Priestess warns him not to let Mawang realize what’s going on.

Patriarch drops by to inform the team of a new demon on the prowl, which is feeding on human souls, in much the same way as Iron Fan did back in the day. Mawang freezes, staring at his hand with growing dread, though he doesn’t let on what he’s thinking.

He does ask Patriarch if this is what happened to his child. If this soul-feeding demon is roaming free in the world, Mawang’s child could also be out there somewhere. Patriarch insists that’s not true, but isn’t that convincing.

In private, Mawang orders Secretary Ma to get Sun-mi so he can confirm something. A short while later, Sun-mi and Secretary Ma wait in a parking lot, and Secretary Ma cuts Sun-mi’s palm to release the scent of her blood.

Mawang catches the scent, and a dark look settles on his face.

Oh-gong surprises Priestess by showing up at the valley where she intends on summoning the dragon. Reminding her that she’d said she would find Mawang’s son, he asks sarcastically if she went ahead and “made” that son. At her reaction, he realizes she did in fact conjure up somebody, and she asks defensively what he’ll do to her.

To her shock, Oh-gong replies, ” I’m going to protect you.” He instructs her to continue with her Kang Dae-sung plans; he intends to get chummy with Kang and be a part of this dragon-summoning.

Sun-mi holds her bloody palm and waits, and finally Corpse Boy emerges and lunges for Sun-mi. At the last second, he is flung aside by Mawang, who steps in to defeat the demon. But as he raises his hand to strike, he freezes, recognizing that his own energy emanates from the corpse.

Oh-gong materializes and grabs Corpse Boy by the throat, but Mawang asks him to stop so he can confirm something. Oh-gong ignores him and defeats the demon, then yells at Mawang to come to his senses: “There’s no way that thing is your son!”

He adds that the corpse was just a trick by Priestess. Mawang looks equal parts furious and devastated as he realizes that she made a fool of him.

Fired up anew, Mawang storms in on Patriarch and demands the truth of his son. Patriarch doesn’t talk, so Mawang vows to kill him and raises his bull-tipped umbrella—and as he swings, Secretary Ma yells for him to stop and jumps in front of Patriarch.

The umbrella strikes her instead, sending her falling to the ground. With her dying breath, she gasps, “I’m sorry.”

Mawang stares in horror, and when he registers what he’s done, he wails in anguish. He asks Patriarch why he did this to him, growing increasingly frenzied as he screams that he’ll kill him. Patriarch first insists he had no choice, then blurts, “Your son is alive!”

Mawang continues roaring and wailing, “And so… finally…” Then his face stills and he finishes calmly, “…you tell the truth.” HAHA, this was all an act? Mawang wipes his eyes, Secretary Ma gets up, and Patriarch gapes looking like his soul has left the building.

Sun-mi is relieved that her vision of Mawang’s grief turned out to be an act, and Oh-gong says that Mawang held it in too long and should have caused a fuss sooner. Sun-mi wonders what Priestess is planning, but Oh-gong is more concerned with why Sun-mi didn’t call him when she was in danger, and why she told Frosty about meeting Kang but not him.

They figure that they’re both still trying to protect the other: Sun-mi’s afraid he’ll get hurt because of her, while Oh-gong is engaging in the human world so he can do something in her place. She asks him to tell her what she doesn’t know.

So Oh-gong admits that he discovered something new—but lies that he confirmed that his feelings with definitely vanish with the bracelet, which means that they have been fooling themselves about being in love. Argh, why do you think this painful story is a better one than the truth?

He says they were always a life-and-death fate to each other, but that the bracelet had been blocking it. If she wants to avoid their deathly fate, he advises her to avoid him once the bracelet is gone, so that he can’t eat her.

“Then we can’t see each other again,” she says sadly. He agrees, and tells her not to worry about causing his death anymore.

Priestess comes to see Mawang, not too fazed that her Corpse Boy maneuver didn’t last, saying that at least Mawang used it to get something he wanted. He notes that she’s seeming rather confident and wonders what she’s trusting in to keep her safe, and she informs him that Oh-gong promised to protect her.

But Priestess looks worried when Mawang says that he ought to kill the person who helped her. PK steps in to take responsibility for messing with Mawang’s energy, and says he can’t help but be taken in when seeing Priestess’s face. She looks affected by those words, though she maintains her cold façade.

PK asks what Mawang means to do with him, willing to accept the punishment. Mawang grabs his wrist in a death grip and does something to bind his powers, saying that he won’t be able to use them for the time being. PK contritely apologizes and heads off with head hanging.

Secretary Ma asks if Mawang will search for his son. Flashing back, we see his conversation with Patriarch, who had advised him not to go looking, because the son had survived through the committing of a great sin. Uncovering his identity could turn him into a target of the heavens, who would try to kill him. So for now, Mawang says that it’s enough to know his son is alive.

That night, Kang Dae-sung is in great spirits as he schmoozes at Oh-gong’s exclusive club, only to reel in horror when he sees Reporter Kim in front of him—the same Reporter Kim he’d had killed. Looking around the room, he also spots the museum director he’d offed, and the senior politician.

Deeply shaken, Kang tries to contain his panic, while Oh-gong watches his reaction nearby. When Kang looks up and meets his gaze, Oh-gong beckons him over, and Kang makes his formal introduction.

Kang is put out to have Oh-gong talking down to him in banmal right off the bat. But then Oh-gong proposes, “I’ll give you what I have, so do what you want.” Kang’s eyes light up even though he doesn’t understand why Oh-gong would make this offer out of the blue, and Oh-gong says that he chose him as the worst of the humans in this bunch. “You want to climb to the top of the bad guys, don’t you?” he asks. “Become king. I’ll turn you into a king.”

COMMENTS

Aha, so Oh-gong teams up with the Big Bad to take it down from the inside, is that it? I can get onboard with that, because that’s a heck of a lot more exciting than sitting around waiting for the Big Bad to come to them. And while Kang Dae-sung seems like an evil mastermind when he’s in the human realm, when you put Oh-gong next to him he seems woefully naïve, doesn’t he? In a delicious way, because I’m looking forward to his downfall. (Come on, his kill list is just comical at this point.)

On paper, I do like where we are with the characters and their feelings, and the flashes of conflict I see in many of them, whether it’s Mawang fighting his rage, Oh-gong and Sun-mi fighting their fears, or even Priestess still seeming to have traces of Buja’s kindness in her, recognizing the people she cared about.

It’s just that, in action, it feels like we’ve had… well, not a lot of action. Haven’t we been talking about the same doomsday for ages now? It’s one thing for the stakes to change along the way (say, by growing) or for the story to escalate, but I don’t think our threat has changed all that much. Our characters’ feelings are what keeps the conflict alive, but by this point I feel like it’s a lot of rehash. There’s just so much I can take of the drama yelling, “Doom is coming!” and then following that up with “Doom… is still coming! Wait for it… Any day now!”

It seems fairly obvious that Mawang’s son is alive and well, and I think there’s only one possibility for who it could be, so mostly the suspense for me is in seeing how Oh-gong and Sun-mi thwart heaven’s decreed fate. Or rather, how Oh-gong thwarts fate, because while I have no problems with Sun-mi as a character, lord knows she hasn’t been the most proactive about driving her own fate. Her rationale has been reasoned well within the confines of the plot so I do think her logic has made sense, but that doesn’t mean her logic is my favorite tactic. It would have been nice to see her plotting with Oh-gong—or, for pete’s sake, for them to share the truth with each other—but at least I have faith that Oh-gong will find something to stop doom from arriving. Because if ever anybody could find a loophole in heaven, it would be him and his sinisterly clever mind.

February 24, 2018 at 10:59 PM

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I've only watched bits and pieces of this because the subs are not out yet but...

Can I just say that shopkeeper granny's grandson has a really captivating smile? While he beamed at Patriarch my heart skipped a beat. If he's really Mawang's kid, boy's oozing with charm (like his dad).

I'm kinda sad that our main couple is still.. well.. doing the noble idiot thing and crying and not working together. I think they'd be so much better working together to bring down the evils + fighting against that supposed deadly fate. You gotta work together guys! What's this talk about not seeing each other again?

February 25, 2018 at 12:53 AM

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just a guess, the store grandma should be somewhat like "goddess of mercy", based on what grandson mentioned that soo-bori (or patriach in the recaps) is below grandma's rank.

in the original story version (chinese), ma wang's son is taken under the goddess of mercy. thus i believe it might be the case that the store grandma kept the grandson under her care from the rest of the world. (well, unlikely there will be a new character when the drama is coming to an end)

February 25, 2018 at 1:07 AM

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In the original story, Guanyin trapped Mawang's son and forced him to be her disciple, similarly to how Wukong was imprisoned under the mountain (that was made out of 5 "fingers" aka Guanyin's hand), so I'm glad in this show she seems like a kind granny at least LOL.

Actually, I never made that connection that she's probably Guanyin, wow!

February 25, 2018 at 2:21 AM

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At first, I thought she was Samshin Granny, the Goddess of Fertility but then I remember that the mythology here is more Chinese-oriented, which makes her Guanyin. Wasn't it Guanyin who gave Wukong his crown? And with her calling, I guess she spared Mawang's son because the child shouldn't bear the burden of his mother's sins when he was just an innoncent baby.

February 25, 2018 at 5:14 AM

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I'm on two minds regarding SOG lying to SM. I feel like it's hard to have a SOG who doesn't use deception to get what he wants. But I also feel like the writers missed an opportunity to create an epic finish by isolating everyone at this point of the story. Given how pop culture saavy the Hong sisters are, it's weird they didn't go the route of everyone banding together.

February 25, 2018 at 5:34 AM

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But at this point I feel like SOG isn't using deception to play his game (I'm all for him doing that with KDS!), he's just intentionally keeping things from her because... eh, because he doesn't want to hurt her? Because he wants to sacrifice himself? I don't know, but it reeks of noble idiocy to me, and it just makes both of them hurt... which makes me sad in turn.

Everyone banding together does make it slightly more bearable, doesn't it? We get the camaraderie, which is always an "aww" feeling. I don't need them ALL to band together, but I did hope that at least our OTP would work together! >:

February 26, 2018 at 1:46 AM

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I don't get it about the lie. I thought Mawang already explained to Seon Mi that she will cease to be Sam Jang once she fulfilled her summons, so Oh Gong won't be interested in eating her when Geumganggo comes off. So why would she be taken in by this lie now? How is it still a predator-prey relationship? The lie just doesn't make sense to me.

February 24, 2018 at 11:02 PM

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Yes, it feels like we have seesawing between the same plot devices for some time now, and I think that the "story" has been saved by the casting. I truly appreciate all the actors have done with their characters.

Is Hwayugi sponsored by a mirror company or this an artistic device of the director?

February 25, 2018 at 7:27 AM

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I saw this comment and then I watched E18 raw and I was like... you're right, there are scenes shot in front of mirrors. At least the mirrors are pretty! But now I can't stop noticing every mirror LOL.

February 24, 2018 at 11:59 PM

MW and PK frustrate me with their stupidity. ASN fools them and they willingly get fooled. Idiots.

I agree that JSM has not been very proactive but how can she be when everyone hides the truth from her and she only comes to know about it at the end?

What exactly can a human do when even the demons are taking everything that the powers above ask them of? The difference between JSM and SOG is that one is a powerless human and another a powerful immortal who can turn the heavens on its ear. Not really fair to compare the two. Although, I will admit, I would have liked to see JSM more proactive too.

Why exactly is ASN still alive? MW and SOG keep giving her their protection alternately. If SOG had just killed her than the ultimate evil will not be called and won't that save JSM? Exactly what SOG wanted? Why didn't he just kill her then and there?

February 25, 2018 at 12:49 AM

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There must be a reason for not killing Asanyo. At this stage I just hope it isn't to safe Buja. That's got old.
Mawang and PK could at least got punched. Just saying.
Nothing more to say about Sun-mi. She herself feels frustrated so at least the show recognizes it.

February 25, 2018 at 2:25 AM

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I think Mawang and PK's gullibility (or more like PK's) is like a nod to the fact that Sun Wukong was the only one in the group who can immediately spot demons. But plot-wise, the gullibility is not very convincing.

February 25, 2018 at 4:51 AM

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Was Mawang really fooled by ASN? The 1st time she was right in saying she could intercept Princess Iron Fan’s fate. The 2nd time she was also right in saying that Mawang’s child is alive. If u think abt it, without ASN, Mawang will still be manipulated by the heavenly exco. It’s just that in her truth, ASN wanted to gain something out of it (which is natural) and Mawang was so absorbed in his problems that he behaved selfishly and irrationally. But then again, since the beginning, Mawang has been known to be very sentimental and so, in line with his character, he is willingly to do anything for his loved ones.

February 24, 2018 at 11:14 PM

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This is really irony, heavenly creature as in the Patriarch keeps on lying which is actually considered as a sin. I mean don't they have some kind of ethic code in heaven? or at the very least, shouldn't those from heaven should be honest. aigoo... dramaland and its logic. tsk3

February 25, 2018 at 7:09 AM

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I have come across a number of fantasy stories in which the Heaven is made up of very 'human' characters. The difference is that they have a lot more power and can play around with the fates of mere mortals. I remember reading a novel that presented our world as a board game for the gods and goddesses.

February 24, 2018 at 11:22 PM

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Ma-wang was seriously on his way to becoming a 100% more crazier than he already is and I understand why but that doesn't lessen the frustration! When Sun-mi had her vision I was like if anything happens to Secretary Ma because of MA-wang I will seriously be pissed and then OMG when she actually "died" I thought it was for real. I can't believe they played us like that smh. But stupid Patriarch why couldn't you just tell the truth earlier.
I knew it was fishy how he had told Oh-gong Sun-mi became Sam-Jang because of how he betrayed her, but hello?? Sun-mi was already involved with the supernatural since before she even met Oh-gong and Ma-wang. If you're gonna lie, at least get it in order. 😠

I'm glad that both PK and Ma-wang got BIG reality checks in this episode though. They were causing me an immense amount of frustration with their stupid behavior.

One thing I'm disappointed in is why is Oh-gong being a noble idiot this late in the game?? I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE!! Let's get this love story more movement than just being depressed all the time about the fate of each other's lives that they have in their hands!! The drama has been starting to lag in the past few episodes. I don't know if everyone felt it, but I need some forward movement in the plot. We've been at a standstill and I feel like the past couple episodes have literally been the same. All talk and no action. But at least now that Oh-gong is playing hardball with Kang Daesung, hopefully, it'll get more exciting. Come on Hong sisters, we have three episodes left. Make them full of excitement!! Please and thank you!

February 25, 2018 at 5:30 AM

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I felt some movement in episode 16 and was pretty excited, but I also had been feeling a lag in the episodes prior to it and in this episode. Like 90% of kdramas, this one could have been trimmed down.

But I also think time constraints - too many episodes combined with worrying about not having enough time to film (which is legitimate given what happened to that poor crew member) and busy, in-demand actors - play a role in focusing on a lot of one-on-one sit-down-and-talk scenes that are easy to write and film. I could picture the Hong sisters letting these constraints dictate their writing.

February 24, 2018 at 11:29 PM

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"Sun-mi appreciates the gesture and tells him to call her anytime, which puts a suggestive glint in his eye as he confirms that he can really call anytime, for any reason. She hastily adds that he should call or text first, lol."
Haha, it looks like SOMEBODY figured out the pros of summoning abilities!
I remember nearly everyone at the Goblin threads wanting Eun-tak to realize that she indeed can summon him ANYTIME! :)))))

February 25, 2018 at 1:04 AM

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No adjusting when it comes to OG for me! :p Darn, maybe that puts me in the same category as ASN LOL. Sun-mi can have all the time in the world to adjust, so long as we get some nice, romantic, cozy scenes at the end. I'm all good.

February 24, 2018 at 11:41 PM

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Finally there is some action at last.. or as close to taking action towards the "dooms day" as we can get.. i mean seriously ... there has been a LOT of talk but no real progress towards actually doing something to stop the summon of SJ.
Its pretty much clear from todays episode that the peddlers grandson is MW so.. makes sense that the halmoni hid him from the heavens..but i REALLYY wanted SJ to be his child.. it would have made perfect sense! the sacrifice of SJ again and again for her parents crimes.. but sadly Hong sisters don't want that..
Oh Gong is a genius..doing the whole bringing them down from the inside thing..but it wouldn't kill him to Share his plans with SJ.. be a team guys plzz!!
Sj infuriates me but she makes up for her gullible nature.. calling out KDS like that...and then not clinging to SOG at the end.. i LOVED her for being strong in those moments..
This episode really did open the eyes of the two idiots.. MW and PK.. they were causing way too much trouble.. had to be stopped..
And lastly... WHY BE THE NOBLE IDIOT NOW OG.. SJ is wayy too innocent..seeing her act like that in the end broke my heart.. This is the time to be trusting each other..not to be an idiot.. and really telling her the truth wouldnt have hurt her the way this lie did..
Overall...liked the way the plot progressed .. but this was a really sad episode.. and i feel like there will be many more to come *sobs* just give mee some sweet moments plzz..

February 24, 2018 at 11:52 PM

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The most pitiful female lead in k-drama land ever.
She is more subdued compared to other demons character but i feel for her the most.
Can everyone stop hurting her? Is she just a living bait and sacrifice?
She puts all her heart to protect her love and the world but is broken again and again.

She put up a wall after being bullied and the fairy who she waited never come. Now OG seems to have broken her wall.. she is left broken again.

While suffering all these pains, she still have to go around saving the world
What the hell...
Someone please hug this girl

February 25, 2018 at 1:40 AM

February 25, 2018 at 5:49 AM

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I enjoy this drama and its cast of characters, I do feel like there isn't enough camaraderie written between Sunmi and the other characters. The only camaraderie are the PK+BJ pairing and the SOG+MW pairing.

I think the lack of camaraderie is due to different value systems and different goals. PK is fine where he is. MW....don't know what his goals are anymore. SOG's was to get into heaven, but now it's to protect Sunmi.
SM wants to protect SOG and the world. There is no connection. Everyone in Jttw was trying to journey to west to get the scriptures and bring them back (which would then bring them to their ultimate goals).

February 25, 2018 at 1:57 AM

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Beautiful summary of her character.... her character used to annoy me like she is so weak all the time...but now i understand her..firstly she is Samjang monk..her heart is pure.. she forgives and forgets..but the only person she truly let herself love is SOG. the scene really annoys me.. this noble thing SOG is doing..it would be fine on any other character but to hurt her like that.. its heartbreaking..

February 25, 2018 at 5:35 AM

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And despite it ll, she still wants to live, she doesn't give up, not to OG, not to MW, not to her own demons. I love her. I know people want her to be proactive, but tbh, she really is in regards to her abilities and how much she does do. Im going to stand by our girl, I love her. Just cause she isn't flashy, loud, abrasive, obnoxious, overly funny, doesn't mean she isn't an incredible character in her own quiet way

February 25, 2018 at 12:24 AM

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My bet is on Oh Gong deciding to reverse roles and therefore the direction of the deadly fate. He wants to be the one who "helps" the candidate (the evil one) and therefore the one to be the sacrifice. Noble idiocy names for much melo and a whole lot of procrastination...

February 25, 2018 at 1:00 AM

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I thought Iron Fan only killed children to feed the souls to her son because her son was dying (or was I also deceived by ASN?)?

Of course, wanting to save your own child does not justify murder, but I guess at the end of the day they are all demons. I do not doubt that actions like eating human souls are uncommon, it's just that the higher-ups probably mete out punishment to stop them doing it, otherwise all humans would be prey.

For the sake of Mawang having had to endure 1,000 years of pain watching his wife die every 100 years, and now probably never being able to see her again (since her punishment has ended and she won't be reincarnated again?) PLUS not ever having known his son... I do hope he gets a happy ending.

But I still get annoyed with how he let his greed and blind "love" screw up a lot of things. I'd smack Mawang for that, but I also try to remind myself that none of them are perfect or supposed to be perfect.

February 25, 2018 at 6:04 AM

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I'm glad Secretary Ma was not dead and that MW and Secretary Ma teamed up to fool the Patriarch.

I'm conflicted about MW. I felt sad that he was emotionally tortured all those years even if his love was a horrible creature who used human children to keep her kid alive. I do want him to reunite with his son. But after the iron fan punishment business was resolved, I've been feeling it is selfish and ungrateful of him to want more that he was given a few episodes back. He was fortunate that SJ's powers allowed him to absorb the punishment (did he ever thank her?) and that SOG and Patriarch absorbed some of the reincarnations, so that Iron Fan would not have to suffer even one more doomed life.

February 25, 2018 at 12:37 AM

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Everytime this show hints to Sun-mi getting more active, I get hopeful. And then there is no progress. It's frustrating.
I get that battling the great evil when you have no idea what it is is hard. Shouldn't they be briefed at this stage? Do they need to do all the work?
Another question is why cannot they cooperate, show? Having middle men in sharing important info is just making it a filler. We already confirmed that they work together best. This is so childishly human of both of them.
Cudos for secretary Ma's act, that was a hard blow I didn't expect. I'm not surprised Patriarch got fooled into admition.
Also the valley is really beautiful, I appreciate the scenography.

February 25, 2018 at 12:56 AM

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Yeah I get you. It didn’t feel like much plot movement this ep. I think the Hong sisters should stick to the cute stuff and character development which is their strength, because when they try to do grand scenarios, it doesn’t work as smoothly as one hopes it would.

Still I have thoroughly enjoyed this drama and if it has a strong ending it may become one of my all time faves because of the chemistry, the cute and the original concepts and of course my monkey

February 25, 2018 at 6:17 AM

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From their work on Hong Gil Dong, I feel like the Hong sisters are capable of grand scenarios, so I am a little disappointed that we didn't get a more epic story for Hwayugi and that Hwayugi ended up being a pretty low-key story. A bit more like Master's Sun and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. But that could be due to budget and time-constraints.

I agree that the Hong sisters excel in cute and developing characters, and I always look forward to how each drama seems to have its own language.
They're able to create codewords and catchphrases unique to the couple. I can't think of phrase "because I love you" ever again without thinking about SOG saying it begrudgingly.

February 25, 2018 at 6:37 AM

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Yes that’s true, I won’t ever be able to hear it without seeing OGs sarcastic face ever again!
MGIAG is one of my all time Faves, and I think it’s a genomics piece of writing. I like the subtelitites of that show and I see many of them reflected in the writing of this drama. And I appreciate it!
However, Hong Gil Dong, in my opinion, was not a good drama, and the scenarios failed and were just a bit boring to me. I don’t think they were ‘grand’, although I may be misremembering as I watched it almost 8 years ago. Surprisingly I finished the drama, because I kept hoping it would pick up, but it didn’t .
What I want from Hwayugi, was the priestess issue to be resolved about 3 eps ago, Bu Ja back and her story resolved around now, and the gang is ready to fight KDS and they knew his agenda, not finding it out in ep 18 as they are now. That would leave the last 2 eps to resolve questions, romances and family makjang drama for MW. It’s been funny and romantic throughout, just not the level of fantasy I wanted. I hoped for something (in regards to the rich mythical world) a bit like Goblin, and how it resolves the whole bride issue in ep 13, (which was also a life and death scenario and was very dramatic and I loved it) allowing a few eps to wrap everything else up. The Hong sisters always rush the end a bit, and leave questions unanswered and I have been so impressed by the maturity in their writing for Hwayugi (but they have still been able to hold on to what makes them special) that I was hoping for better pacing, which we had for the first 14 eps but now it’s slowed down! Still I’m holding on to this drama and if I’m satisfied with this ending it will be one of my favourites!

February 25, 2018 at 11:36 AM

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I still need to see Hong Gil Dong although I know most of their shows.
The world they created for Hwayugi is quite interesting. Forced love made me laugh a lot.
Plus. Never have I seen a show that made me want a plush. But I need Yuk-gong.

February 25, 2018 at 11:42 AM

February 25, 2018 at 12:47 AM

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so many loose ends, so few episodes left, and it feels like we're still circling in place. are they aiming for an extension or something? i have this sinking feeling that the actual BOSS fight will be as underwhelming as MW's taking on the 10000 years ' worth of heavenly punishment.

also not too impressed with how SOG's treating SM's lately with withholding the truth like kdrama heroes of old.. "don't worry your pretty little head, this big bad oppa will take care of everything. pet, pet" c'mon kdramas, i thought we've already passed that era?? forget Geumganggo, without trust their relationship is already doomed anyway

February 25, 2018 at 12:53 AM

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My favourite gongs this episode-
1. MW finally dismissing patriarch and patriarch being treated like he obsolete
2. SM being proud of her powers and wanting to help OG kick up a fuss
3. OG being cute all the time ( esp the appearing and disappearing bit)
4. SM cock blocking herslef when it come to OG
5. OG living up to Han Joos fantasy of being a chaebol 😂😂😂
6. OG demanding that MW get his shit together, which triggers MW to....
7. Fake killing secretary Ma in the most Oscar worthy performance I have seen in the longest time!!!! Outstanding scene and it actually killed me (need a fully subbed version to fully appreciate this incredible scene)
8. I know OG is being a noble idiot, but I think it is the most apt use of noble idiocy I have seen in a drama in a long time. It is a necessary trope and works really well in this life and death situation and also will give us heartbreakingly sexy broody hero.
9. OG performing ab inside job? Yesssss

Not as much happened in this ep as I’d hoped. I really wish there had been more plot movement, because I feel like the next 3 eps will be rushed. I think they could easily get another 5 eps out of this drama, maybe more- the possibilities are endless. I mean we could also get demon hunting Gong family missions once SM and OG are married and have their baby!

I just had a thought, the doc from last ep, the baby she summoned, was it OGs reincarnation and not his future child? If it was his future child she would have been less doom and gloom about his fate? They better not do a reincarnation, I have discussed this at length before and I will totally kick off if that happens. Unless it’s done differently from other dramas.

I’m sad hat the drama is ending, but I cannot wait to see what happens when the GGG finally comes off. And hopefully OGs shirt too. Come on dramas gods! I’m begging you!

February 25, 2018 at 12:54 AM

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...I don't know how to feel about this drama. I wish the story was more interesting and Sun Mi was one of those rare badass heroine's who had more character depth than just being a sacrificial lamb whose blood attracted demons. All that is keeping me here is the Cast (Seung Gi) and the silly humor now and then.

February 25, 2018 at 2:29 PM

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Same here, I keep thinking that ASN/Buja is a much more interesting character than Sun Mi. For sure a much more fun double role to play. I can't see how Sun Mi could have been made more bad-ass though. The story is centered around her initial helplessness (and spunk, I guess, but that was more present when she was a child).

February 25, 2018 at 1:31 AM

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One of my favorite kbs drama 2018. I so much love HO- Gong. Working separately is better, because they might give themselves hope in loving each when the necklace is removed and get disappointed. They rather fight separately and find ways in which they can be together with or without the necklace.
PK is annoying, he really can’t be trusted.
I love mawang, I think he will also play a good role in helping sun-mi and Ho-gong.
There’s a good chance that shopkeepers grandson is mawangs son.
I love this movie a lot... can’t wait to see how Ho-gong confess his feelings truly without wearing the necklace

February 25, 2018 at 1:47 AM

Someone please give Jin Sunmi a break. Her life is suffocating enough as it is while trying to complete her task as a samjang.

She is also clueless hence asking Mawang what she should do but everyone is just belittling her or Oh Gong who doesn't want her to be involved in any danger.

If she wants to take off the Geumganggo people say she is selfish, if she doesn't want to :selfish again, sacrificing herself for Oh Gong: Stupid

She has to die as a sacrifice anyway because of the fucked up heaven but she still tries her best in her human way but people still blame her for not taking action? What do people want?

Give this girl a justice. How can she be a badass with no power and such miserable life??? She isn't a badass who yells or kick ass like any typical drama heroines but her heart is stronger than anyone else in the world.

If i were her, i would have ended my life long time ago. Now even Oh Gong is hurting her

February 25, 2018 at 2:07 AM

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YOU STOLE MY WORDS... seriously those comments infuriate me. If u understand her character and stay true to her original character as SJ monk..then what she is doing is more than what can be expected.. how can she challenge heavens when she is just a human... i wanna clap for ur comment!! haha and ur right i wouldve done the same..also OG is just making me really angry lately..

February 25, 2018 at 4:19 AM

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i think the fault lies in the writing and the pacing. i liked SM in the beginning of the series, when she was still busy fending off ghosts/demons/OG. she was quite proactive then, stubbornly refusing to let OG eat her, cleverly putting the GGG on him, making decisions during the demon hunting episodes etc. then the whole 'end of the world' arc started and sadly she got sidelined while the demon/heaven/zombie crew took over the plot entirely, while she got stuck playing the 'does he love me does he not' game with OG that went round and round and got nowhere

February 25, 2018 at 6:36 AM

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I agree that the writing and pacing did sideline her - the fate of so many heroines in kdramas! When they got her to the point where she accepted her Samjang-ness and laid that kiss on SOG, the writing should have taken that and ran with a SJ who has a brighter and more expanded outlook on her role in the world.

Then we got the whole Asanyeo storyline (which ends up being much longer than I expected) and the Iron Fan one.

February 25, 2018 at 2:14 AM

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I am guessing that Sam Jang is the child of Ma Wang and wife, this child fate is to be born, reincarnate and sacrifice him/herself in order to save people due to disaster that has been made by human (as a pay off because he/she was feeded with human souls) and also to pay his/her parent's sin. Heaven involves SOG this time because its only him who can outlaw and breaks this unfortunate fate of Sam Jang (Our sneaky monkey that equal to heaven)...

February 25, 2018 at 2:15 AM

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I think the Heavens find Mawang, Sohn Ohgong and samjang to be threats. It's because if they had the chance to be promoted to immortals, they would be very powerful. So if Mawang's son possesses Sunmi and Sohn Ohgong will have no choice but to kill her with him inside, then Mawang will attempt to kill him to avenge his son with Ohgong fighting him back. Overall, it's like removing all threat for the Heavens without dirtying their hands.

February 25, 2018 at 5:37 AM

February 25, 2018 at 3:01 AM

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Proactive at her own fate??
-firstly she is more than proactive. She used her knowledge to make herself as a succesful business woman and survived by herself for 25 years
Right now she only knows her fate is as a samjang . She is doing everything she can but how does she know what else to do? Even me as a viewer don't know what she must do

-plotting with Og?
OG is the one pushing her away from this mission to protect her. Watched so many times she said to him "let's go together", " tell me", etc but he never tel her the truth.
What must she do????

February 25, 2018 at 3:01 AM

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Thank you for the recap and comments, JavaBeans!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one wondering where the plot went. It feels as if it's been circling the drain for episode after episode. But maybe that's in keeping with the English version of the title: A KOREAN ODYSSEY -- which sounds cool, except that there's no actual journey anywhere when you get right down to it. Even as a metaphor for inner growth, the title doesn't symbolize a whole lot for Sun-mi, who has been a good person all along, and is still just a pawn of Heaven who gets no respect. Oh-gong has cleaned up his act a bit, but is now bent on Noble Idiocy, which doesn't rate as a hero's journey in my book.

I'm beginning to think that a better title would have been something like DEMONS AND IMMORTALS BEHAVING BADLY. At least then we would have known what to expect.

On the other hand, I've been very happy with the performances. The actors have been doing fine jobs, even in minor roles. Lee Seung-gi has been memorable as the wily Monkey King. Oh Yeon-seo has been making a silk purse out of a sow's ear when given the opportunity. Cha Seung-won has been gleefully cheesy as Mawang, but then turns around and breaks my heart with his grief over Iron Fan and Secretary Ma. Lee Se-young stole the show as Zombie Girl -- and is acquitting herself well as the ruthless Priestess. I really miss Sung Hyuk's portrayal of Summer Fairy.

There's an unevenness to the depth of characterization among the major characters that makes some of them seem flat. It's almost as if the writers blew their wad on a few of them, and the rest were short-changed. Mawang is so campy and over the top that frequently Oh-gong is the only one in his league. I've been getting the feeling that Oh Yeon-seo has been given the kind of half-baked character her co-star Joo Won got stuck with in MY SASSY [JOSEON] GIRL; the plots in neither drama have given those characters a whole lot to work with -- at least that's how it seems to me. Your mileage may vary.

I've only seen this episode raw and read the recap, so I may feel differently after I watch it with subtitles.

There's a brief scene of Priestess meeting with Kang Dae-sung in his office. Omo! It looks just like consulting shrink Dr. Yoda's office in OH HAE-YOUNG AGAIN! I'd recognize that mounted deer head high on the wall behind his desk anywhere. The valley where Oh-gong meets Priestess, ostensibly the valley where she will raise a dragon, sure looks like the swimming hole where Hae-soo fell in the drink in MOON LOVERS and ended up in Goryeo -- and where Joseon mayor Dam Ryung met his childhood mermaid friend as adults in LEGEND OF THE BLUE SEA.

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to venture a guess that Kang Dae-sung will be all gung-ho for Priestess to raise a dragon -- until he learns she'll have to kill him to make it happen, and then all bets will be off. Har!

February 25, 2018 at 4:30 AM

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can anybody enlighten me on what's the deal with the priestess? did she want to make a king so she can have all that power for herself? or will she get promoted to be an immortal then? was she even in the original JTTW story?

i'm also curious about why Sa ohjeong and Frosty behave so subservient to SOG.. is it only because he's the strongest of them all? but neither MW nor PK behave like that- they fear his strength, but not serve him

February 25, 2018 at 4:32 AM

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I knew the moment SOG said that line of "if you call me and I don't come (after the GGG is off) that means my feelings disappeared" was his way of protecting her because he will end up dying/sacrificing himself. Which is just making me want to throw monkey plushies at SOG for this noble idiocy.

For a majority of the episodes, I felt really pumped and excited to watch the newest episodes but lately I've been feeling less enthusiastic. It's definitely due to the plot because I don't think a lot has happened lately.

I just wish JSM got more agency in the plot, she was so cute when she was all ready to kick up a storm to the Heavens for SOG. How awesome would it be to see these two teaming up? I just want my badass monkey and monk team fighting off monsters.

I love Han Joo's face and reaction when he sees SOG in the news. He continues to be a hilarious assistant.

February 25, 2018 at 7:48 AM

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I usually watch the episode first before reading recaps, but it's just not been possible this time. Even now, the complete subs are not available. (It's really driven home the fact that having access to K-drama fan-subs within hours of broadcast is a privilege.)

February 25, 2018 at 5:34 AM

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The show has been going in circles with the plot for a while now... Even the «cute» scenes between Sun Mi and Oh Gong felt repeated. The only thing keeping it going or Mawang and Oh Gong.... (and even at that...).

Side Note: Why does the ice cream look so good in this show? (it's probably not ice cream just something that looks like it but gosh I'm craving it so bad now. Am I the only one?)

February 25, 2018 at 8:38 AM

February 25, 2018 at 9:08 AM

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I think SJ hasn't been so proactive about her fate because of fear, I think she thinks she has to kill OSG and that scares her to death, I have not seen where anyone explain to her that she is to take in the evil and be killed with the famous sword by OSG yet. May be I must it?!

February 25, 2018 at 10:43 AM

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I think OG is keeping his plan from SM because he knows she would sacrifice herself knowing that is the only option to save the planet. She already sacrificed herself with the priestess to save him and that is why he is keeping her in the dark while he tries to destroy the evil from within. This is the calm before the storm and I think SM will start to do something herself now probably thinking this is the only way to save OG.

February 25, 2018 at 3:21 PM

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is it me or this show is dragging?? We 17 eps in we still don't know why the priestess is raising a dragon. Why pk keep doing dumb shit when he knows the priestess is using him. Where is this zombie girl/ pk thing going cause he acts like he's in love with a dead girl and not brotherly love, how's that going to work? The main couple....I'm tried of this damn bracelet. Take the thing off already see what happens. The list can go on and on.....really this could have been a 16 ep show, take out all this filler crap.

February 26, 2018 at 12:22 AM

February 25, 2018 at 4:30 PM

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Handsome Monkey King, you are so smart (and the Hong sisters are very clever, though they need an editor who will cut them down to 16 or 18 episodes). I love the fighting from the inside which is what Monkey often does in the original story. He'll make himself very small, get eaten by the demon, then fight literally from the inside out. Our resident evil politician should be very nervous.

February 25, 2018 at 5:56 PM

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It's just frustrating to see Mawang gets deceived every time by Asanyeo. That girl is hella cunning I swear. I wish our Oh Gong and Sam Jang couple should stop crying and feeling unfortunate about their fate and just face and fight through it.

February 26, 2018 at 1:41 AM

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The one thing I really (and I mean, REALLY) hate about dramas is the, "let's not talk about the truth instead, I'll just be the bad guy so that you won't be in pain" thing. I mean, come on! The truth is almost always better than some knockoff version of it! Why can't all of them just sit down and plan for the doomsday together like a team?!

I hate that Oh Gong thinks she's protecting Sun Mi by hiding the truth from her because as far as the show had shown us, Sun Mi has the capability to handle things by herself. She's smart, brave, and strong so I really want to see her fight her damned fate with Oh Gong. Won't you give that to us, show? *sigh*

February 28, 2018 at 10:18 AM

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Does anyone thing that the Kang guy was the king that betrayed the priestess? For all that she is doing to crown him king, she doesn't seem to like him very much.. When he asked if he should kill Sun Mi next she looked positively revolted

March 1, 2018 at 8:08 PM

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I love these reviews! They're so freaking helpful! Sometimes the subs take way too long or the plot is sooo draggy that I can't seem to make it through an episode without skipping around so I appreciate the summaries. *hugs*

March 5, 2018 at 6:41 AM

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I agree with much that has already been said here, but I can't say that I am honestly surprised by the ending as the narrative has not been cohesive up to this point and there were a few episodes where not much ocurred. I would have stopped earlier but for the great characterisations on the parts of the actors. Ep 20 wasn't a bad ending - it was a non-event (which is worse). I don't understand the huge 'look backs' that seem to be necessary in the final eps of Asian dramas, it always feels like they don't have enough story and need to make up the time. LAZY!! Or is it that writers don't credit their audience with any memory at all?